The Two Rebeccas: Proving the Parentage of Rebecca Sears Eastman
Disentangling two women with the exact same name who both married men named Eli is a classic genealogical puzzle. For years, online family trees connected Rebecca Sears, wife of Eli Eastman, to the wrong family in Connecticut. But primary source records—specifically an 1809 land deed and an 1832 Revolutionary War pension declaration—reveal her true identity and place her right where she belongs in Sheffield, Massachusetts.
BACKGROUND & HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Rebecca Sears was born September 15, 1758, in Sheffield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, to Thomas and Rebecca Sears. Her parents originally lived in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, spent a short period in Connecticut, and settled in Sheffield by 1758.
Around 1778, Rebecca relocated to Bennington, Vermont. While her exact reason for moving remains unclear, her maternal uncle Simeon Sears was already living in Bennington by 1770 and served in the Vermont line during the Revolutionary War.
When her father Thomas died in Sheffield in 1781, his probate distribution left Rebecca a share of the family home and land. Two years later, on June 5, 1783, she married Eli Eastman in Clarendon, Rutland County, Vermont, becoming his second wife.
THE RED HERRING: CONNECTICUT VS. MASSACHUSETTS
Many online trees claim Eli Eastman married the Rebecca Sears born in 1750 in Ridgefield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, to James Sears and Desiah Tobey. That connection falls apart under close inspection:
- Different Marriage: The 1750 Rebecca Sears of Ridgefield actually married Eli Crosby, not Eli Eastman.
- Age & Birthplace Mismatch: In an 1832 pension declaration, Eli Eastman's wife testified under oath that she was 74 years old and born in Sheffield, Massachusetts. Subtracting 74 from 1832 points directly to a 1758 birth year, matching the Sheffield vital records perfectly.
THE EVIDENCE & PRIMARY SOURCES
A clear paper trail connects Rebecca back to her biological family:
- 1758 (Sheffield, MA Vital Records): Birth record for Rebecca Sears, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca, born September 15, 1758.
- 1781 (Sheffield, MA Probate): Thomas Sears' estate distribution divides property among his heirs, creating specific boundaries for "Rebecca's land."
- 1809 (Sheffield, MA Land Deed): Thomas Sears Jr. sells land and explicitly identifies his sister as Rebecca Eastman, alongside their brother Willard. This deed directly links Rebecca Sears of the probate record to her married surname.
- 1832 (Clarendon, VT Pension Declaration): Supporting her husband's Revolutionary War pension application, 74-year-old Rebecca Eastman confirmed her birth in Sheffield, Massachusetts, and her 1783 marriage to Eli in Clarendon.
CONCLUSION
The 1758 birth record, the 1809 land deed naming Rebecca Eastman, and her 1832 sworn testimony confirm her identity beyond doubt. Rebecca Sears (born September 15, 1758, in Sheffield, MA) was the wife of Eli Eastman of Clarendon, Vermont—not the Rebecca Sears of Ridgefield, Connecticut.
